Multiple window anchoring device



Jan. 16, 1962 R. L. SMATHERS ETAL 3,016,996

MULTIPLE wmnow ANCHORING DEVICE Filed Feb. 12, 1960 INVENT'ORS Ralph L. Jmaflem% [dd/61902 M ATTORNEYS BY W United btates Patent 3,016,996 MULTIPLE WINDOW ANCHORING DEVICE Ralph L. Smathers, 5012 Missouri Ave, and Joseph G. Rauierson, 315 Hibiscus, both of Lalreland, Fla. Filed Feb. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 8,397 Claims. (CI. 189-64) The present invention relates to anchoring or bracing devices for anchoring vertical mullion bars of multiple metal frame windows.

The present invention has particular application to the installation of metal window frames in window openings of suflicient size to receive a plurality of side by side metal window frames, these being hereinafter referred to as multiple metal frame windows. When a plurality of metal window frames are installed in a single window opening in the building wall, the metal window frames are joined together along their adjacent side frame members or stiles with vertical mullions or mull bars without horizontal support. The mullion or mull bar usually takes the form of an I-beam wherein the flanges at opposite edges are spaced laterally an appropriate distance to underlie and abut the marginal flanges at the inner and outer edges of the standard metal frame stiles. Previously, bracing or anchoring of these vertical mullions or mull bars has been accomplished with flimsy strips of thin sheet metal which are fastened with screws adjacent one end of the strips to the bottom frame member or rail of the window frame adjoining the vertical mullion or mull bar, the metal strip extending into the tile grout subsequently applied along the inner upwardly facing surface or inner ledge of the Window sill to be held in position only by friction with the cement. In many instances, the bond between these metal anchoring strips and the tile grout has failed or eventually worked loose, permitting the window to come loose at the mulls.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a novel anchoring device for anchoring window frames of multiple metal frame window installations securely against displacement relative to the building wall.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of novel anchoring means for securing multiple metal frame window units to a building wall at the regions of the vertical mullions or mull bars joining the individual metal window frames, which will drastically reduce the time required to install and anchor such multiple metal frame Window units and which will securely hold the window frames against loosening.

Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing illustrating several preferred embodiments of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a multiple window anchoring device embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical fragmentary section view taken transversely through a building wall illustrating the multiple window anchoring device in installed condition to anchor a pair of metal window frames;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal transverse section view taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 in the zone of a mull bar joining metal frame sections of a multiple metal frame window installation;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevation of a portion of a building wall adjoining a window opening illustrating another embodiment of a multiple window anchoring device embodying the present invention, the building wall being in the normal condition encountered at the time of installation of the anchoring device before application of plaster or other surfacing to the inner building wall surface;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical fragmentary section taken transversely through a building wall illustrating the modified form of anchoring device in installed condition, taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the modified form of the anchoring device.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures and particularly to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the multiple window anchoring device of the present invention generally indicated by the reference character 10, is formed of strong rigid steel, for example, steel stock approximately A5 inch thick cut to form of an elongated strap about inch wide and bent to the shape illustrated in FIGURE 1. The anchoring device 10 is generally in a distorted Z-shape providing vertical, anchoring leg 11 depending from the inner end of a substantially horizontal intermediate web 12 and a vertical extending riser portion 13 ascending from the outer end of the intermediate web 12. The intermediate web 12 is joined to the depending anchoring leg 11 along the right angle bend 14 and to the riser portion 13 along the right angle bend 15. The riser portion 13 terminates at its upper end in an inwardly bent bearing toe 16 bent at about a 45 angle to the plane of the adjoining riser portion 13 and adapted to bear against a bounding flange of a window frame.

As will be evident from an inspection of FIGURE 3, the anchoring device 10 is designed to be associated with one of a pair of adjacent metal window frames 17 at a point near a vertical mull bar 18 joining the adjacent sides of the pair of metal window frames 17 to anchor the lower end of the mull bar 18 and the adjacent metal window frame portions against displacement relative to the building wall. While the anchoring devices herein described will obviously be applicable to many different types of building wall construction and window framing, the following description will be directed to the use of the anchoring device for anchoring metal window frames of the illustrated type and their associated mull bars in window openings in masonry houses built with either precast concrete window frames, or with precast concrete sills Referring to FIG. 2, the Window opening generally indicated by the reference character 19 into which the metal window frame 17 is to be anchored in a multiple window installation is bounded along its lower edge by a precast concrete sill 20 of conventional cross section having a window frame locating seating rib 21 extending uninterruptedly along the upwardly facing surface intermediate the inner and outer faces 22 and 23 respectively of the precast sill, there being a generally hori zontal upwardly facing surface portion or inner ledge 24 extending between the frame seating rib 21 and the inner face 22. The metal window frame 17, in accordance with conventional construction practice, has a locating web 25 depending from the lower rail 26 of the frame 17 adapted to be disposed immediately outwardly of, and bear against the window frame seating rib 21 and an inner marginal flange 27 depending from the lower rail 26 of the window frame at the inner edge thereof.

The anchoring device 10 is designed to be secured to the building wall in the position illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 by inserting the bearing toe 16 and riser portion 13 of the anchoring device below the window frame flange 27 between the lower end of the flange 27 and the ledge 24 of the concrete sill 20- and then guiding them upwardly into the cavity formed between the flange 27 and web 25 of the frame 17 to bring the end of the bearing toe 16 into contact with the surface of the window frame flange 27. The anchoring device 10 is then rotated, for example in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2, generally about the bend 15 therein to seat the intermediate web 12 flat against the ledge 24 and the depending anchoring leg 11 flat against the inner face 22 of the concrete sill 2%. The length of the depending anchoring leg 11 is suflicient to extend below the bottom of the concrete sill 20 and overlie concrete blocks 28 or other material of the building wall, the anchoring leg 11 having one or a plurality of openings 29 therein through which a case hardened nail 30 may be driven into the concrete block 28 to anchor the lower end of the anchoring device 10 to the building wall.

The anchoring device 10 may be readily constructed in large numbers from /8 inch thick steel stock which is 9 /2 inches wide, by bending the metal stock with appropriate dies to assume the cross-sectional configuration illustrated in FIGURES l and 2, stamping out the opening or openings 29, and cutting the stock along transverse lines into strips of /1 inch width. As a typical example of a practical embodiment of the anchoring device 10, the depending anchoring leg 11 may be inches long from the lower end thereof to the bend 14, the intermediate web 12 may be 3 inches long, and the upper riser portion 13 including the bearing toe 16 may be 1 /2 inches long, the bearing toe 16 being about inch long and the bend forming the toe 16 being about A inch from the upper end of the anchoring device 10.

In the above-described form of the invention, one of the anchoring devices is positioned adjacent the lower corner of one of a pair of adjacent metal window frames 17 near the mull bar 18 joining the frames 17, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, or two of such anchoring devices 10 may be used by placing an anchoring device 10 at the lower mull-bar-adjoining corner of each of the pair of metal window frames 17 in flanking relation to the mull bar 18.

An alternate form of the invention wherein the mull bar 18 is directly engaged by the anchoring device and anchored to the building wall is illustrated in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6, components similar to those of FIGURES 1 to 3 being designated by like reference characters. In this form of the invention, the anchoring device here indicated by the reference character 10, includes a depending anchoring leg 11 having a casement nail opening 29 located therein, an intermediate web 12 and an inwardly offset riser portion 13 terminating at its upper end in an inwardly inclined toe 16', all as generally illustrated and described in connection with the first embodiment. The inclined toe 16' on the upper end of the riser portion 13, however, is bifurcated to provide a slot indicated by the reference character 31 which may, for example, be inch wide and approximately of an inch long and extend downwardly into the upper region of the riser portion 13. This slot is of an appropriate size to accommodate the web 32 extending between the flanges 33, 34 of the mull bar 18, in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 4, the slot 31 being flanked by bifurcated toe portions 35, 36 designed to be brought into engagement with the inner flange 33 of the mull bar 18, rather than the depending flange 27 of the lower window frame rail as described in connection with the preceding embodiment.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the lower end of the mull bar 18 rests against the frame locating seating rib 21 and the flanges 33 and 34 of the mull bar interfit between the inner and outer marginal flanges bounding the adjacent vertical stiles of the adjoining window frames 17. The ends of the bifurcated toe portions 35, 36 of the anchoring device 10 project upwardly between the mull bar flanges 33, 34 and bear upon the inner flange 33, urging the mull bar 18 inwardly of the window opening to a position seating the locating webs 25 of the window frames 17 intimately against the seating rib 21 of the concrete sill 20. By this construction, the adjoining corner portion of the metal window frames and the mull bar are securely held in fixed relation to the building wall in a manner effectively resisting subsequent loosening of the multiple window frame installation.

In both forms of the invention, it is contemplated that the building wall interior will be Subsequently finished as by applying a bed of tile grout and tile, as indicated by the reference characters 37 and 38 respectively, in FIG- URE 2, or other suitable finish, the anchoring device which is securely anchored to the building wall being then embedded in the grout bed.

While but two specific embodiments of the present invention have been particularly shown and described, it will be apparent that various modifications may be made therein within the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An anchoring device for anchoring a multiple metal window frame and interconnecting mull bar assembly to a building wall wherein the bottom rails of the window frame rest on a window sill fixed in the building wall and include a depending flange at the inner edge of each frame and a depending web spaced toward the outer side of the building defining a downwardly opening channel therebetween, the window sill being of the type having a rib forming an outwardly facing shoulder to abut said deending web for locating the frames intermediate the inner and outer sides of the building wall and a stool portion extending toward the inner side of the building wall having right angular adjoining surfaces; said anchoring device comprising an elongated integral strap of rigid sheet metal including a right angular mounting bracket portion to abut and conform to said right angular adjoining surfaces of said stool portion of the sill, said right angular mounting bracket portion having a portion at one end depending below said sill into lapping relation to said building wall to be secured thereto and having an upwardly extending hook formation at the other end thereof, said hook formation including a Vertical riser leg lying in a vertical plane located between said depending flange and depending web of the bottom window frame rails and extending upwardly from said right angular mounting bracket portion into said downwardly opening channel and terminating in a toe portion inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the inner side of the building wall having a bearing edge for abutting a surface of said mull bar and multiple window frame assembly facing toward the outer side of the building wall, said bearing edge being positioned relative to the right angular corner of said right angular mounting bracket portion when seated against the right angular adjoining surfaces of the window sill stool portion to exert a restraining force against the engaged surface of said assembly directed toward the inner side of the building wall to restrain the assembly at a position holding the depending web of each of the window frame intimately against the outwardly facing shoulder of said window sill rib.

2. An anchoring device for anchoring a multiple metal window frame and interconnecting mull bar assembly to a building wall wherein the bottom rails of the window frame rest on a window sill fixed in the building wall and include a depending flange at the inner edge of each frame and a depending web spaced toward the outer side of the building wall defining a downwardly opening channel therebetween, the window sill being of the type having a rib forming an outwardly facing shoulder to abut said depending web for locating the frames intermediate the inner and outer sides of the building wall and a stool portion extending toward the inner side of the building wall having right angular adjoining surfaces; said anchoring device comprising an elongated integral strap of rigid sheet metal including a right angular mounting bracket portion to abut and conform to said right angular adjoining surfaces of said stoop portion of the sill, said right angular mounting bracket portion having a portion at one end depending below said sill into lapping relation to said building wall to be secured thereto and having an upwardly extending hook formation at the other end thereof, said hook formation including a vertical riser leg lying in a vertical plane located between said depending flange and depending web of the bottom window frame rails and extending upwardly from said right angular mounting bracket portion into said downwardly opening channel and terminating in a toe portion inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the inner side of the building wall having a bearing edge for abutting the surface of said depending bottom rail flange facing the outer side of the building wall, said bearing edge being positioned relative to the right angle corner of said right angular mounting bracket portion when seated against the right angular adjoining surfaces of the window sill stool portion to force the window frames toward the inner side of the building wall to a position holding said depending web intimately against the outwardly facing shoulder of said window sill rib.

3. An anchoring device for anchoring a multiple metal window frame and interconnecting mull bar assembly to a building wall wherein the bottom rails of the window frame rest on a window sill fixed in the building wall and include a depending flange at the inner edge of each frame and a depending web spaced toward the outer side of the building wall defining a downwardly opening channel therebetween, the window sill being of the type having a rib forming an outwardly facing shoulder to abut said depending web for locating the frames intermediate the inner and outer sides of the building wall and a stool portion extending toward the inner side of the building wall having an upper surface extending from said rib toward the inner side of the building wall and an inner surface depending at right angles therefrom in coplanar relation with the inner building wall surface; said anchoring device comprising an elongated integral strap of rigid sheet metal bent into a distorted generally 2- shape including a horizontally extending web adapted to seat against said upper stool surface having a vertical anchoring leg depending at right angles from the end of said web adjacent the inner side of the building wall to abut said inner stool surface and depend below said sill into lapping relation with a portion of the building wall and having an ascending riser portion extending upwardly at right angles to said web at the opposite end thereof in a vertical plane lying between said depending flange and depending web of the bottom window frame rail, said ascending riser portion extending upwardly from said web into said downwardly opening channel and terminating in a bearing toe inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the inner side of the building wall having a bear ing edge for abutting the surface of said depending bottom rail flange facing interiorly of the downwardly opening channel, said bearing edge being positioned relative to the juncture of said vertical anchoring leg and web of the anchoring device when seated against the right angular adjoining surfaces of said stool portion to exert a restraining force against the depending flange of at least one of said window frames at a point adjacent the mull bar and directed toward the inner side of the building wall to restrain the window frames at a position holding the depending web of the lower window frame rails against the outwardly facing shoulder of said window sill rib.

4. An anchoring device for anchoring to a building wall a multiple window frame assembly of a pair of transversely aligned metal window frames intercoupled by a vertical mull bar of I-beam construction wherein the bottom rails of the window frames and the web of the mull bar rest on a window sill fixed in the building wall and the bottom rails include a depending flange at the inner edge of each frame and a depending web spaced toward the outer side of the building wall, the mull bar being disposed with the flanges thereof disposed in inwardly and outwardly spaced planes paralleling the building wall and interconnecting web extending perpendicular thereto, and the window sill being of the type having a rib forming outwardly facing shoulders to abut said depending web for locating the frames intermediate the inner and outer sides of the building wall and a stool portion extending toward the inner side of the building wall having right angular adjoining surfaces; said anchoring device comprising an elongated integral strap of rigid sheet metal including a right angular mounting bracket portion to abut and conform to said right angular adjoining surfaces of said stool portion of the sill, said right angular mounting bracket portion having a portion at one end depending below said sill into lapping relation to said building wall to be secured thereto and having an upwardly extending hook formation at the other end thereof, said hook formation including a vertical riser leg lying in a vertical plane located between said depending flange and depending web of the bottom window frame rails and extending upwardly into said downwardly opening channels and terminating in a toe portion inclined upwardly and inwardly in a direction overlying a portion of said right angular mounting bracket portion, said hook formation having an upwardly opening vertically extending slot extending at least through said toe portion of a width to receive the interconnecting web of said vertical mull bar therein, the portions of said toe portion flanking said slot terminating in bearing edges for abutting the inwardly spaced flange of said mull bar in flanking relation to the web thereof, said bearing edges being located relative to the corner of said right angular mounting bracket portion when seated against the right angular adjoining surfaces of the window sill stool portion to force the mull bar and window frames interconnected therewith toward the inner side of the building wall to a position holding said depending web of each of said window frames intimately against the outer facing shoulder of said window sill rib.

5. An anchoring device for anchoring to a building wall a multiple window frame assembly of a pair of transversely aligned metal window frames intercoupled by a vertical mull bar of I-beam construction wherein the bottom rails of the window frames and the web of the mull bar rest on a window sill fixed in the building wall and the bottom rails include a depending flange at the inner edge of each frame and a depending web spaced toward the outer side of the building wall, the mull bar being disposed with the flanges thereof disposed in inwardly and outwardly spaced planes paralleling the building wall and interconnecting web extending perpendicular thereto, and the window sill being of the type having a rib forming outwardly facing shoulders to abut said depending web for locating the frames intermediate the inner and outer sides of the building wall and a stool portion extending toward the inner side of the building wall having an upper surface extending from said rib toward the inner side of the building wall and an inner surface depending at right angles therefrom in coplanar relation with the inner building wall surface; said anchoring device comprising an elongated integral strap of rigid sheet metal bent into a distorted generally Z-shape including a horizontally extending web adapted to seat against said upper stool surface having a vertical anchoring leg depending at right angles from the end of said web adjacent the inner side of the building wall to abut said inner stool surface and depend below said sill into lapping relation with a portion of the building wall and having an ascending riser portion extending upwardly at right angles to said web at the opposite end thereof in a vertical plane lying between said depending flange and depending web of the bottom window frame rail, said ascending riser portion terminating upwardly from said web in a bearing toe inclined upwardly and inwardly toward the inner side of the building wall, said riser portion having an upwardly opening vertically extending slot extending at least through said toe portion of a width to receive the interconnecting web of said vertical mull bar therein, the portions of said toe portion flanking 7 8 said slot terminating in bearing edges for abutting the mately against the outer facing shoulder of said window inwardly spaced flange of said mull bar in flanking relasill rib. tion to the Web thereof, said bearing edges being located relative to the juncture of the verical anchoring leg and References Cit in th file of this patent web when seated against the right angular adjoining sur- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS faces of the window sill stool portion to force the mull bar and window frames interconnected therewith toward 2 1 Z the inner side of the building wall to a position holding e y said depending web of each of said window frames inti- 

